Tag: Pakistan vs Australia

LAHORE: Pakistan’s white-ball series bound players will enter the bio-secure bubble today ahead of the scheduled home series against Australia.

With the white-ball series with Australia is just around the corner, the players including Fakhar Zaman, Asif Ali, Asif Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, and Mohammad Haris will report into the team’s bio-secure bubble today.

The players will undergo on-arrival COVID-19 testing, followed by a mandatory three-day isolation period. The green shirts’ white-ball players will then start training on March 25.

All the players have also been released from the ongoing Pakistan Cup and will reach the hotel today.

It is apropos to mention here that the white-ball series between Pakistan and Australia will commence on March 29 at Gaddafi Stadium.

READ: PAK vs AUS: Ben Dwarshuis replaces Kane Richardson for white-ball series

MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia (CA) have confirmed that the left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis has replaced right-arm speedster Kane Richardson in the white-ball series squad for the away series against Pakistan.

In a statement, released on the official website of the CA, the cricketing body has confirmed that the left-arm pacer Dwarshuis has replaced Richardson in the white-ball series.

Richarson, who sustained a hamstring injury could not recover in time and has been ruled out of the Pakistan tour.

With him ruling out of the tour, the Aussies will now field one of their most inexperienced pace attacks in more than 50 years of one-day international cricket.

According to the CA, Richarson’s hamstring injury was only considered minor but he will not be travelling to the country for a series featuring four games in just eight days.

“Richardson’s hamstring twinge is only considered minor, the Aussies decided it was not worth putting him on the plane for a series featuring four games in just eight days,” the statement read.

It is pertinent to mention here that the white-ball series between Pakistan and Australia will roll into action from March 29 in Lahore.

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LAHORE: Pakistan’s opening batter Abdullah Shafique and top-order batter Azhar Ali stood firm and took the home side to 90/1 at the conclusion of the second day of the third Test, here on Tuesday.

In response to Australia’s 391, the home side managed to score 90/1 at the stumps on the second day. Opener Abdullah and Azhar anchored the innings with an unbeaten 70-runs partnership and will now resume the proceedings on the third day for Pakistan.

Abdullah is just five away from his half-century, while Azhar has scored an unbeaten 30 off 79 balls.

Earlier, Pakistan were off to a poor start as the home side lost their first wicket in the form of Imam-ul-Haq for a combined score of 20. The left-handed batter managed to score 11 before Pat Cummins trapped him in his legs.

Earlier, Pakistan bowled out Australia for 391, thanks to the four-wicket hauls each from Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

After a frustrating first session, Pakistan’s pacers fired back at the opposition in the second session; taking five wickets and conceding only 71 runs.

Australia’s set pair of Alex Carey and Cameron Green fell in the quick successions after the Lunch break, while the batting tail had no answers to Pakistan’s bowling attack.

Carey scored an important 67, while Green starred with his 79. The left-handed opener Usman Khawaja, however, remained the top scorer for his side with a brilliant 91.

For Pakistan, Shaheen and Naseem picked four wickets each, while Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali struck out a batter apiece.

At the resumption of day two, Australia, resuming at an overnight score of 232/5, the visitors completely dominated the first session of day two. The pair of Carey and Green added 88 runs into their side’s overnight score at a decent run-rate of 3.14.

READ: Smith, Khawaja’s dismissals put Pakistan in commanding position

LAHORE: Pakistan’s right-arm speedster Naseem Shah has expressed his desire to bowl out Australia under the 300 mark on the second day of the third Test of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

Naseem, while talking to the virtual press conference after the conclusion of the opening day of the Lahore Test, has expressed his desire to bowl out the touring side under 300.

“The late wickets have shifted the momentum in our favour. We will now try to get Australia out within three hundred,” he said.

The right-arm pacer, who took two wickets on the opening day, revealed that he always try to give his best. Whereas, also revealed that Steve Smith’s wicket has given a lot of confidence to him.

“I always try to give my best whenever given the opportunity. I did the same today and fortunately, get the ball to reverse swing. The pitch was a bit slow so I tried to bowl a little quicker,” he said.

“I am quite happy with my performance today. The wicket of Steve Smith means a lot to me and it has given me a lot of confidence,” he added.

Naseem further claimed that he does not get frustrated over the slow pitch and always focus on his input.

“I do not get angry if the pitch is slow. This is something that is not in our hands. We can work hard and we do that,” he said.

“I feel a bit frustrated about not getting wickets in such hot weather. But, I always try to keep myself relaxed,” he concluded.

It is apropos to mention here that Pakistan have bowled well on the first day of the Lahore Test to restrict Australia to 232/5 at the stumps. Naseem, alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi, bagged two wickets, while Sajid Khan made one scalp.

READ: Smith, Khawaja’s dismissals put Pakistan in commanding position

LAHORE: Australia’s set pair of Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith fell in the last session of the opening day of the ongoing third Test to put Pakistan in a commanding position, here on Monday.

The last session of the opening day turned out to be an eventful one as the home side picked up three wickets, while the visitors managed to add 87 runs and took their score to 232/5 at the stumps.

Resuming the score at 145/2 after the Lunch, Australia’s set batter Smith could not carry his bat for long as he walked to the pavilion in the third over of the last session. Pakistan’s speedster Naseem Shah bowled a magnificent reverse swing to trap him in legs.

The right-handed batter scored 59 off 169 deliveries with the help of six boundaries. His partner, Khawaja on the other hand, stayed a little longer at the crease but fell short to his 12th Test century by a mere nine runs. Babar Azam took a sharp catch off Sajid Khan’s delivery at slip to dismiss the left-hander.

Soon after Khawja’s exit, the left-handed batter Travis Head also made his way back to the pavilion after he managed to score 26 off 70 balls.

Alex Carey (8*) and Cameron Green (20*) will now resume the proceedings for the touring side at 232/5 on the second day.

For Pakistan, Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi bagged two wickets each, while Sajid managed to make one scalp.

In the second session, Australia took control after losing two quick wickets in the third over of the day. The opening batter Khawaja and Smith then anchored the innings with an astonishing 137-runs unbeaten partnership.

The pair scored added a further 75-runs before the Tea break and made sure that the touring side do not lose further wickets.

Earlier, Australia, after opting to bat first, were off to a poor start as Pakistan’s leading pacer Shaheen struck the opener David Warner and the top-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne in his second over.

With Shaheen’s quick strikes, Australia lost their first two wickets for a mere eight runs. The left-hander Khawaja and experienced Smith then anchored the innings with an unbeaten 62-runs partnership and took Australia to 70/2 at the conclusion of the first session.

READ: Zahid Mahmood replaces Mohammad Nawaz for white-ball series 

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have confirmed that the leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood has replaced all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz in the white-ball series squad for the home series against Australia.

In a statement, released on the official website of the PCB, the cricket board have confirmed that the leg-spinner Zahid has replaced Nawaz in the white-ball series.

Nawaz, who sustained a foot injury during the seventh season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) could not recover in time.

Zahid, on the other hand, will join the white-ball series squad after the conclusion of the ongoing Test series between Pakistan and Australia.

Furthermore, Zahid will also act as a cover for the leg-spinner Shadab Khan.

In a PCB released statement, Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim said that Nawaz could not fully recover from the injury and Zahid, who is already a part of the Test squad is an ‘adequate replacement’.

“Unfortunately Mohammad Nawaz has not recovered fully from the foot injury he suffered during the [PSL 7[. We also need to reassess Shadab Khan’s fitness once he joins the squad before playing him in this high profile series which is very important for us in terms of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League points,” PCB quoted Wasim.

“Zahid has been with the team for the Tests and we feel he is an adequate replacement in the present situation and can potentially make a contribution to the team if needed.”

It is apropos to mention here that the white-ball series comprises of a three-match ODI series and one-off T20I will roll into action from March 29 here.

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LAHORE: Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins has revealed that the touring side has made plans to tackle Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam and is confident of executing them in the upcoming third Test.

Cummins, while talking to the virtual pressed conference, ahead of the third Test of the historic series between Pakistan and Australia, unveiled that the touring side has made several plans to tackle Pakistan’s top-batter Babar.

“Babar Azam played an extraordinary knock. We have made plans for him. Now we will be looking to execute those plans, but I must say that he played a good long knock,” he said.

Cummins also revealed that the Aussies will be taking the field with the same combination.

“I have full confidence in my boys. We will take the field with the same Playing XI,” he said.

“We need two spinners. We also considered other options but we think this is the best Playing XI,” he added.

Cummins also claimed that the missed opportunities in the last Test prevented us from winning. However, the right-arm pacer is confident of not losing the chances in the third Test.

“We had a chance to win the Karachi Test but we missed on the given opportunities which really halted us from winning,” he said.

“We can no longer afford to miss out on the opportunities, we need to field well in the Lahore Test,” he added.

The right-arm pacer also commented about the playing conditions in Gaddafi Stadium, said the bowlers do not have much experience of playing in hot conditions.

“This is a big match. The weather is very hot for the fast bowlers. They do not have much experience of playing in these sorts of conditions,” he said.

“There is no grass on the pitch. I can’t say much about this pitch, how different it is
from the first two Tests. But, I think the reverse swing will play an important role in this match,” he concluded.

The Aussie captain however is confident of claiming the series by winning the third Test of the ongoing Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

READ: ‘Fawad Alam knows how to make a comeback’ Babar Azam 

LAHORE: Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam has backed the left-handed middle-order batter, Fawad Alam, following a dip in his performance in the home series against Australia.

Babar, while talking to the media ahead of the third Test of the ongoing Benaud-Qadir Trophy, has opened up about Fawad’s recent failures in the historic home series against Australia.

“Fawad Alam is an experienced batter and I believe that he knows how to make a comeback,” he said.

The 27-years-old captain, when asked about playing in his home ground against tough opposition like Australia, said he can not explain his feelings in words. However, is confident of claiming the historic series by winning the Lahore Test.

“I can not express my feelings in words for playing in my home ground. Lahore is hosting a Test match after a gap of thirteen years, so we will try to win it,” he said.

“We will play for the win and will try our best to produce a result,” he said.

Babar then commented about him bowling in the longest format of the game said, he used to bowl before and the change is beneficial in Test cricket.

Pakistan captain then commented about the home side’s performance in the second Test, said the team gave ‘tough time’ to Australia.

It is pertinent to mention here that the third Test between Pakistan and Australia will roll into action from March 21 to March 25.

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LAHORE: Australia’s experienced batter Steve Smith heaped praises on Babar Azam and claimed that the Pakistani skipper is among the top-five batters in world cricket.

Smith, while talking to the media through a virtual press conference lauded Babar and shared that he considered the top Pakistan batter as one of the five best batters in world cricket.

“The way Babar played in Karachi Test, was simply exceptional. I think he played an extraordinary knock,” he said.

“Babar set many records during his outstanding innings and I think he is one of the top five batters. The way he tackled our spinners was a great sign for him,” he added.

Smith then praised Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique, said they also played well in the fourth innings.

The right-handed batter then commented about his individual performance in the last two matches, said he felt disappointed for not scoring big on these pitches.

“I tried to play long innings on these pitches but could only score around 70. It was quite disappointing for me as I kept getting out despite the hard work,” he shared.

“Hopefully, I will be able to play long innings in Lahore,” he added.

Smith then further opined about the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore’s pitch and said he is not expecting it to be a bouncy pitch.

“I have not seen Lahore’s pitch but I think it would be somewhat similar to those of Karachi and Rawalpindi. I am not expecting it to be a bouncy one,” he said.

The right-handed batter also expressed his desire of winning the series by securing the victory in the upcoming Lahore Test.

It is pertinent to mention here that Gaddafi Stadium will host the third and last Test of the ongoing Benaud-Qadir Trophy from March 21 to March 25.

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced on Saturday that the white-ball series between Pakistan and Australia will be shifted from Rawalpindi to here, the two boards have mutually agreed on the same.

In an official statement released by the PCB, the cricket board shared the decision of shifting the matches to the headquarters of Pakistan Cricket. PCB and Cricket Australia (CA) have mutually agreed on the decision.

The ODI series between Pakistan and Australia will commence on March 29, while the one-off T20I will be played on April 5.

Furthermore, Australia’s white-ball squad will land here on March 24 and will be allowed to integrate with the remaining members after the completion of the mandatory one-day room isolation. Whereas, Pakistan’s white-ball players are scheduled to assemble on March 22, and will then be able to resume the training on March 25.

Following the change in the venue, the PCB will shortly announce the ticket details.

SQUADS

Pakistan (ODI): Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-Ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir

Pakistan (T20I): Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir

Australia (ODI and T20I): Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa

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